The unemployment rate upgraded to 6.9% during the first trimester 

6.9% reads the unemployment rate for the first 2009 semester according to the International Labour Organisation, increasing against the same period in 2008 (6.3%) and against the rate for the previous trimester (5.8%), according to the Institute for National Statistics (INS).

UPDATE: According to a different body, The National Agency for Work Placements (ANOFM), the unemployment rate has only gone up to 6% in June, against 5.8% in May, and against 3.7% against the same 2008 period. The two authorities use different methods in counting the unemployment rate.

The young people saw the highest unemployment level: 21.3% of the those between 15 and 24 years of age lack a job. The trends are underlining an increase in unemployment. The previous trimester saw the same rate at a lower level: 17.9%.

The unemployment in men was 2.4% higher than in women: 7.9% in men and 5.5% in women. The unemployment in the urban area was 7.5, while it recorded a slightly lower figure in the rural areas – 6%.

The employment rate for young people (15-24) was 24%. The Lisbon Treaty aims for a 70% employment rate for 2010. In Romania, it is currently at a 12.6% points distance. The economic dependency rate (namely the inactive and unemployed per 1,000 people) read 1379‰, with a bigger rate for women (1736‰) and for the people living in the rural areas (1431‰).

The active Romanian population counted 9.70 million people in the first 2009 trimester, out of which 9.03 million employed and 666,000 unemployed. The International Labour Organisation defines an unemployed according to the following criteria:

• the person is between 15 and 74 years of age;

• they do not hold a job;

• they are available for work within the next several weeks;

• they have been actively pursuing a job anytime in the last four weeks.

UPDATE: According to a different body, The National Agency for Work Placements (ANOFM), the unemployment rate has only gone up to 6% in June, against 5.8% in May, and against 3.7% against the same 2008 period. The total number of unemployed recorded by county job centres counted 548,940 people, out of which 290,281 receive benefits.

Such a high number of unemployed hasn’t been reached since February 2006, when this category numbered 554,585. The Highest unemployment rate was seen in Vaslui (East, 12.1%), Mehedinti (South-West, 10.6%) si Alba (Central-West, 9.9%), while in Ilfov (South, 1.5%), Bucuresti (South, 1.8%), Timis (West, 3.4%) and Constanta (South-East, 3.8%) recorded the lowest unemployment rate.

The two authorities use different methods in counting the unemployment rate. The INS measures the unemployment rate each trimester, using a pattern issued by the International Labour Organisation. The ILO rate is based on statistical research and employs a survey ran in homes, resulting in the number of active and non-active population.

The National Agency for Work Placement calculated a monthly unemployment rate, by considering the recorded unemployed persons ratio against the recorded active population.